10 Famous Movie Locations That You Can Actually Visit

Movie locations play one of the pivotal parts in any filmmaking process. Even a movie that takes place entirely or mostly on the green screen needs an actual location to serve as inspiration. And the best part is, you can actually visit some of these unique movie locations in real life! Here are the 10 Famous Movie Locations around the world in alphabetical order that you may want to consider.

1) Contra Dam, Switzerland

Who could forget the epic bungee jump, where Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond took a swan dive at 220 metres (720 feet) from Switzerland’s Contra Dam in “GoldenEye”? Now, you can recreate that spectacular sequence by performing the bungee jump yourself at the aforementioned dam. Definitely not for the faint-hearted, this thrill-seeking bungee jump would cost you from CHF 195.00 (RM840.00) onwards.

Image Credit: dronestagr.am

2) Fox Plaza, Los Angeles

Two words: “Die Hard”. The first movie where former “Moonlighting” TV star Bruce Willis’ street-smart New York cop, John McClane became a hero of the Nakatomi Plaza terrorist attack. The truth is, the otherwise fictional “Nakatomi Plaza” was actually Fox Plaza, which functioned as the corporate headquarters for the Los Angeles-based Twentieth Century Fox. Other movies that featured in Fox Plaza include “Speed” and “Fight Club”.

Image Credit: deskgram.com

3) Hatley Castle, Canada

Built in the early 1900s, Hatley Castle was originally a private residence occupied by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, James Dunsmuir alongside his wife, Laura. After the Canadian government took over in the 1940s, the castle was later converted into a naval training school. Today, Hatley Castle is operated as a university museum and is part of the Hatley Park National Historic Site. The lavish castle also famously served as a location for many movies and TV series. This includes the likes of “X-Men” franchise as Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, “Smallville”, “Arrow” and “MacGyver”.

Image Credit: lorenzteam.com

4) Hook & Ladder Company 8 Firehouse, New York

If the firehouse looks somewhat familiar, that is because it was famously used as a headquarters in “Ghostbusters” movies. Fun fact: Although it was shown as an abandoned building in the original “Ghostbusters” back in 1984, the Hook & Ladder Company 8 is actually a working firehouse even until today. The interior of the “abandoned building scene” in the movie was shot separately in a different location.

Image Credit: nycgo.com

5) Matamata, New Zealand

One of the biggest contributions that help drove the success of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy in the early 2000s was no doubt the film location, which took place all over New Zealand. Among the locations that worth mentioning here are the charming cottages of Hobbiton in Matamata, which also featured in “The Hobbit” prequel trilogy. You can book a daily tour right here.

Image Credit: trover.com

6) Mehrangarh Fort, India

Located at 400 feet above the city of Jodhpur, this giant fort famously served as the exterior of a prison in “The Dark Knight Rises”. However, the interior location where Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is being held as one of the prisoners, was actually shot separately in Rajasthan’s ancient stepwell of Chand Baori.

Image Credit: @Yeong Haur Kok

7) Pagsanjan Falls, Phillippines

Located around 100 kilometres south of Manila, Pagsanjan Falls is a famous tourist attraction for its iconic waterfall. Director Francis Ford Coppola famously filmed in the notoriously troubled 1979 Vietnam war movie, “Apocalypse Now”. The setting took place during the final scene of the movie. You can take a guided trip to the waterfall by riding a canoe manned by the Filipino boatmen known as bangkeros.

Image Credit: outoftownblog.com

8) Skellig Islands, Ireland

Remember towards the end of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, where Rey (Daisy Ridley) arrives on a remote island to hand over Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker lightsaber? That island wasn’t a green screen but a real location called Skellig Michael, a larger part of Skellig Islands situated in County Kerry, Ireland. It was again featured in the financially successful but critically divisive “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”.

Image Credit: silversea.com

9) Ta Prohm, Cambodia

The Angelina Jolie-starred “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” took place in various locations around Cambodia. One of them happens to be the vine-covered Ta Prohm temple in the Siem Reap province at Angkor. It has since become a popular tourist destination for many backpackers, thanks to the mass popularity of the movie at the time. Other scenes in the movie that shot in Cambodia include Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Bayon Temple.

Image Credit: encirclephotos.com

10) Zhangjiajie, China

Ever wonder where James Cameron got his idea from to create the fantastical world of the then-groundbreaking 3D sci-fi epic, “Avatar”? The movie was largely inspired by China’s spectacular mountain scenery, which turns out to be the Hunan-based national park called Zhangjiajie.

Casey is a freelance writer and a movie enthusiast, where some of his close friends dubbed him as "walking encyclopedia of movies". He also frequently blog movie reviews under "Casey's Movie Mania" (www.caseymoviemania.com)